Residents of post-Soviet countries know the charismatic Georgian actor Vakhtang Kikabidze for his leading role in the famous comedy “Mimino” by Georgy Danelia. Although the singer’s beautiful voice drove women crazy, he can safely be called an example of a real Caucasian man. Vakhtang Kikabidze’s wife Irina Kebadze is the only love of the Georgian celebrity’s life. She gave birth to her husband's son Konstantin.
The actor also has an adopted daughter, Marina Sagaradze, who loves her stepfather like her own father.
Childhood
The future “Mimino” was born on July 19, 1938 in the Georgian capital. Vakhtang Kikabidze’s family at that time lived in the Veriya quarter, located near Mtatsminda. This pantheon is the burial place of famous Georgian cultural figures.
The relatives of Vakhtang's father, journalist Konstantin Nikolaevich, were Imeretian nobles. The latest information about junior lieutenant Kikabidze dates back to December 1942. At that time, the father of the future actor took Kerch, after which nothing more was heard about him.
Father of Vakhtang Kikabidze
The princely family of Vakhtang's mother, Manana Konstantinovna Bagrationi, had connections with the Georgian kings. A well-known singer in her homeland took her son on tour. The boy loved to be backstage and listen to his mother sing.
Vakhtang Kikabidze with his mother
Vakhtang remembers his grandmother Olga, Manana’s mother. Her family belonged to the ancient princely family of Amirejibi from Kartalinya. Many relatives of Kikabidze’s mother were repressed before the war.
After his father disappeared, Vakhtang spent a lot of time with his uncle, Manana’s brother.
I had fatherless syndrome. Skinny and ragged, I dreamed that if dad came back, everything would be different for us. It is difficult for a boy to live without a father; maternal upbringing cannot replace paternal upbringing.
Vakhtang’s mother was rarely at home, as she disappeared almost all the time at work. Manana's son and other children were raised on the street, where they often became hooligans. Kikabidze's post-war biography is associated with a large courtyard in which representatives of different nationalities lived. Many children were left orphans. They were starving and existed without electricity. The house was lit with a kerosene lamp. But everyone in the yard lived together.
Vakhtang Kikabidze in childhood
Vakhtang lived next door to the future famous director Sarkis Parajanyan. It was from this friend that he received the nickname Buba, after which the entire family of Vakhtang Kikabidze began to call him that.
I mumbled as a child and my friend gave me this nickname. And now many people in Tbilisi are called Buba.
Drawing occupied an important place in Vakhtang’s childhood biography. Since paper was in short supply in the USSR, Kikabidze used book pages for his still lifes and landscapes.
Kikabidze's childhood and school years
Vakhtang was born on July 19, 1938 in Tbilisi, in a family with ancient noble roots. Konstantin Nikolaevich Kikabidze worked as a journalist before the war, and his mother, Manana Konstantinovna Bagrationi, was a singer. From an early age, the boy was surrounded by music; little Vakhtang often went backstage at concerts.
But he had no intention of repeating the path of either his father or his mother. He was attracted to fine arts and dreamed of becoming an artist. In the first year of the war, Konstantin Kikabidze, called up to the front, went missing. Later, the boy's father was replaced by his maternal uncle.
Vakhtang studied poorly at school. He was especially not good at exact sciences. He even repeated the second year twice due to poor performance in mathematics. The main passion in the life of the schoolboy Vakhtang remained drawing. Paper was tight in the USSR in those years. And Vakhtang drew on whatever he had to: on the margins of books, notebooks, newspapers.
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In the 10th grade, Vakhtang somehow got to a rehearsal of an amateur art ensemble. What he saw and heard so captivated the boy that he quickly learned to play the drums and then began to sing.
Youth
High school student Buba suddenly began to sing. Together with his friends at gatherings, he sang Georgian folk songs. Vakhtang was taken into the school ensemble, in which he sat down at the drum kit. When Kikabidze's cousin was absent from rehearsals and concerts, the role of soloist went to Buba.
Vakhtang Kikabidze in his youth with friends
Vakhtang did not show good results in his studies.
I was a difficult kid, because of my innate restlessness, I studied very poorly.
He especially disliked mathematics.
Instead of the required eleven years, I studied for fourteen. Three times I was retained for the second year: in the third, sixth and eighth grades. My mother begged and scolded me, although she was a reserved and taciturn woman, but this did not bring any results.
After graduating from school, Kikabidze became a student at Tbilisi University. Then he began working at the city philharmonic, and a little later he entered the local institute of foreign languages.
In his youth, Vakhtang copied the performing style of foreign stars. He sang in gibberish before he learned English and Italian.
Carier start
Despite poor grades, Vakhtang managed to enter Tbilisi University after graduating from school in 1955. But, after studying two courses, the young man dropped out of the university. He realized that his calling was music. In 1959 he entered the Philharmonic in Tbilisi. He was fascinated by parodying famous singers. To ensure that the musical cartoons were close to the original, the young man even entered the Tbilisi Institute of Foreign Languages, where he also studied for two years, from 1961 to 1963. Vakhtang toured with the Philharmonic troupe and performed parodies of English, Soviet and Italian singers.
But then he decided to create his own musical group. In 1966, he joined the Dielo group, and then organized his own VIA Orera. In the same year, Kikabidze made his film debut, starring in the film “Meetings in the Mountains.” Directors noticed his talent. That’s why the singer began to appear frequently on film sets.
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Wife Irina
Vakhtang Kikabidze first met his future wife during a tour in the capital of Hungary. He immediately fell in love with Irina Kebadze. Both artists were part of the same concert crew. The girl danced in ballet. She received a diploma from the Leningrad Vaganova Choreographic School, after which she was assigned to the Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theater.
In the evenings during the tour in Budapest, members of the Soviet delegation held gatherings in their rooms. So one day Vakhtang and Irina ended up in the same company.
Suddenly we heard terrible screams from the street. The brakes squealed. We realized that something serious was happening. They ran out into the street. We saw cars stop abruptly, people abandoned their cars and ran away. There was a cry. We decided that we had witnessed the beginning of a military coup. We later found out that this was a reaction to the announcement of Kennedy's assassination.
When the panic began, the young ballerina was very scared. Kikabidze immediately drew attention to the slender, petite girl, whose eyes were wide open. She was shaking. Vakhtang hugged Irina and immediately fell in love with her.
In 1965, the young people got married. Later, they repeatedly recalled the fateful meeting in Budapest.
I told Ira, say thank you to the late Kennedy.
Together with his wife, Vakhtang Kikabidze lived with her parents in a semi-basement. He toured constantly. I haven't seen my wife for a long time. Vakhtang Kikabidze's children were mainly raised by his wife.
Vakhtang Kikabidze with his wife
Their family has always been friendly. They constantly hosted guests, since the singer is a very sociable person.
I love sitting with friends at the table. I was always proud that when everyone else fell, I left the room on my own two feet.
Kikabidze still loves his wife. Irina is the main woman in Mimino’s personal life. At the same time, Vakhtang Konstantinovich calls himself a jealous husband, but his wife tried not to give him reasons for this.
Adopted daughter Marina
Vakhtang Kikabidze maintains good relations with his children. He married Irina Kebadze along with her seven-year-old daughter Marina, whose father is actor Guram Sagaradze. The girl was registered in the name of her real father. She quickly found a common language with Vakhtang and began calling him dad. She always liked Kikabidze's popularity. Marina visited the film sets of films in which her adoptive father starred, and his concerts.
Vakhtang Kikabidze with his wife and daughter
Today Sagaradze serves at the Tbilisi Academic Theater. Sh. Rustaveli. She can be seen in films. In addition, she teaches stagecraft at one of the theater institutes.
Biography of Vakhtang Kikabidze
Vakhtang Kikabidze is a famous Georgian actor and musician.
His songs have long been beloved by millions of listeners. And the films have become true classics of world cinema. Just look at the famous song “Chita Gvrito” from the famous film “Mimino”. This painting has been the hallmark of the famous Georgian master for many years. But what other bright works are worth highlighting in the career of our today's hero? What events brought the actor into the world of Soviet cinema? We will try to tell you about all this, as well as shed light on unknown moments in the life of a musician, right now.
Son Konstantin
The singer named his own son Konstantin in honor of his father, who did not return from the war. Kikabidze decided to celebrate the news of the birth of his first child on a grand scale. After celebrating this event, he was left with a lifelong scar in the form of a scar on his leg, received during a restaurant brawl.
Vakhtang Kikabidze with his wife and son
Konstantin did not want to go to school. In this he was similar to his father, although Kikabidze’s wife, when getting her son ready for lessons, set his parent as an example.
Shame on you Kostya, your dad went to school for fourteen years, but you don’t want to for two days.
The quiet and shy son of Kikabidze did not like to tell teachers and classmates about his famous father.
One day, Konstantin prepared an essay in which he wrote about the death of his father during the war and his mother, who died grieving for her husband.
Kikabidze's son became a painter. He studied at the Academy of Arts. For three years, Konstantin’s place of work was the Georgian embassy in the capital of the Russian Federation. Then the young man moved to Canada and settled in Toronto, where he lives to this day.
Grandchildren
In 1978, Kikabidze’s family was replenished with his first grandson, Georgiy Areshidze, who was born by the artist’s adopted daughter. He studied at college in the German city of Salzburg, and then at the Schiller International University in London.
Family of Vakhtang Kikabidze
Kikabidze's son Konstantin pleased his father with two grandchildren. Vakhtang was born in 1986. Then, with his father and adoptive mother, he left for Canada, where he started his family. In 1995, the actor’s youngest grandson Ioan was born, whom his parents sent to study at a Tbilisi English school.
Other women in Kikabidze’s personal life
In the personal life of Vakhtang Kikabidze, besides his beloved wife Irina, there were other women, but the singer hid these connections from prying eyes.
A real man should always be ready for love adventures.
At one time, Vakhtang, during a tour, dragged a fan into his room, located on the second floor of the hotel, on a chair lowered from the balcony.
There are legends about Kikabidze’s personal life.
In the mid-80s, actress Svetlana Kryuchkova starred with him in the film “Olga and Konstantin.” Vakhtang was carried away by his colleague, who did not pay attention to him. One night, a famous Georgian approached her balcony and shouted: “I want Svetlana Nikolaevna!”
Svetlana Kryuchkova and Vakhtang Kikabidze
In 2008, actress Yulia Galkina, who is almost half a century younger than him, appeared in Vakhtang Kikabidze’s personal life.
Vakhtang Kikabidze and Yulia Galkina
They met on the set of “The Queen”.
Vakhtang Konstantinovich is my guardian angel. This man has a great sense of humor. He is an incredibly charming man. I'm not against love between people with a big age difference. For me, the high relationship between Oleg Tabakov and Marina Zudina is an example.
Both actors never officially confirmed that they had an affair.
Star Trek by Vakhtang Kikabidze: first songs and great success
In 1966, our today’s hero and his friends organized their own group, “Orera”.
Together with this group, he began performing as a vocalist and drummer. He was noticed, and very soon Vakhtang Kikabidze received an offer to try himself as... an actor. The singer decided that it would be a sin to refuse such an offer, and therefore very soon appeared on the set. So in 1966, our today's hero made his film debut. The actor’s first work was the musical film “Meetings in the Mountains.” The debut turned out to be very successful, and therefore Vakhtang Kikabidze soon began to appear frequently in various film projects.
Among the actor’s most famous works are the films “I, Investigator...”, “The Lost Expedition”, “TASS is Authorized to Declare”, as well as the films by Georgy Danelia “Don’t Cry”, “Completely Lost” and the famous film “Mimino”.
Vakhtang Kikabidze gives an interview in Kazakhstan. The last of these works became a true classic of Soviet cinema and brought the actor the USSR State Prize, which in those days was comparable to the Oscar Award. In addition, over the years, Vakhtang Kikabidze received prestigious awards at festivals in Cartagena, Gabrovo and some other cities.
It is very noteworthy that our today’s hero was awarded prestigious awards not only as an actor, but also as a director and screenwriter. So, in particular, in a new capacity for himself, Vakhtang managed to work on the films “Be Healthy, Dear” and “Men and Everyone Else.”
In total, the great Georgian master managed to work on more than twenty films as an actor. His longest and most fruitful collaboration was with his compatriot Georgy Danelia.
Among the latest works of Vakhtang Kikabidze, presented in modern times, the films “Fortune”, “Love with an Accent”, as well as the animated film “Ku! Kin-dza-dza”, on the creation of which the actor worked as a voice artist.
Vakhtang Kikabidze in the film Mimino
As for the musical creativity of our today's hero, it has also always been successful. Throughout his life, Vakhtang often toured the countries of the former USSR, where he always gathered full houses.
His significant contribution to the development of Georgian and Soviet cinema and musical art brought the actor many significant awards. In 1980, our today's hero received the title of People's Artist of Georgia, and subsequently the Order of Honor, the Order of Victory named after St. George, as well as the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine were added to this. But the actor refused the Russian Order of Friendship. The reason for this was the military conflict between Russia and Georgia that occurred in 2008. The geography of his touring performances is also very indicative in this regard. The artist often comes to Belarus and Ukraine, but refuses offers to perform in Russia on principle.
